It has been 15 days since Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) started issuing the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), but the response remains lukewarm so far.
Since March 30, a total of 1,434 persons purchased the card that is on an average 119 cards per day. Among the cardholders, nearly 100 passengers use the card to travel every day.
It is said that a majority of the metro passengers have been using Namma Metro smart cards and they are likely to shift to the NCMC only after the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) also starts accepting it. “Holding one more card to travel just in Namma Metro does not make much difference,” said a source.
After the commercial operations between K.R. Pura and Whitefield, the average ridership of Namma Metro touched 5.9 lakh during the weekdays and crossed over 6 lakh during the weekend.
Among the passengers, 60% of them use the Namma Metro smart cards to commute, 39.5% use the tokens purchased at the counters, and the remainder use group tickets and others.
Sources said close to 21,000 passengers use the QR-based ticket system to travel in Namma Metro.
“Since commissioning of the Namma Metro services, the BMRCL has been issuing smart cards (closed loop card) for its passengers. In Bengaluru, these cards are being used by lakhs of passengers. Last year, the BMRCL had also launched a QR-based ticket system for the benefits of the passengers. These initiatives were well received by the passengers. Those who are holding Namma Metro smart cards may not immediately shift to the NCMC as it cannot be used in other modes of transport in the city limits. Once the BMTC puts in place the required infrastructure to accept the NCMC, there will be huge demand for it.”
Lack of training
Passengers complain that at the counters of metro stations they do not get the proper information about purchasing the NCMC and its benefits.
Ramya S., a metro passenger, said, “Recently, I visited a counter at Cubbon Park station to purchase the NCMC. When I enquired about the card, a staff member told me that I have to make an online registration. I asked her to share details about the link that I am supposed to visit. She directed me to visit another counter. There too the staff was clueless. I returned without buying the card.”
Admitting that passengers are facing problems at the counter, an official said, “In future, we will take all steps to train our staff to issue the cards and share details sought by the passengers. We will also rope the issuer bank to train the staff.”
The BMRCL earlier shared information that the commuters can buy RuPay NCMC across the counters of any metro station and at RBL Bank branches in the city. The commuters can purchase an NCMC by submitting a KYC form available at counters and paying a minimum amount of ₹100 of which ₹50 will be in the form of recharge.
The passengers can also purchase by entering the minimum KYC details by visiting nammametro.ongo.co.in or Namma ONGO mobile app. After registration, one has to visit the ticket counter at the metro stations to receive the card.
“Since these are bank issued card waiting times for issuing NCMC is around 3 minutes for self-registered passengers. For those who want to purchase the card at the counters it takes 10 minutes to complete the formalities related to KYC as per the RBI guidelines,” said a source.
Published - April 16, 2023 11:10 pm IST
